DR. LORETTA KASPER'S ESL 91 ON THE WEB Today is

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March 8  March 15  March 22  March 29  April 5  April 21  April 26  May 3  May 10  May 17  May 24

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2004 Welcome to ESL 91 ONLINE. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE ANNOUNCEMENT AND BE SURE THAT YOU COMPLETE EACH TASK AS ASSIGNED This web site contains all of the information you will need for our course. You will access this assignments page every Monday in computer lab for your assignments. You will complete each assignment according to the directions provided. Today, you will need to complete several tasks as follows: SET UP YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT FOR THIS COURSE If you already have an email address that you would like to use for this course, please log into that email and send me a message from that address. If you do not already have an email account, go to Yahoo Mail. Click on the blue link that says SIGN ME UP. NOTE: This will open in a new browser window so that you may return to this Blackboard page easily. PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU choose a password that will be easy for you to remember and send it to me in an email addressed to esl91@yahoo.com. Please take some time to explore each of the areas on our course web page at http://kccesl.tripod.com. You should bookmark this page on your home computer. I encourage you to use it every day. I look forward to working with each of you, and I hope we all have a very productive and successful semester! Good Luck, Dr. Kasper

MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2004 Today you will begin searching for Internet resources to use for your first writing assignment. A WELL-ORGANIZED FIRST DRAFT of your writing assignment is due on Monday. Do NOT come to class without your assignment! Remember to use one of the planning strategies for writing that we discussed in class. The topics for each focus discipline group are as follows: Psychology-- Writing Topic: Describe the mental disorder schizophrenia. Discuss the causes, symptoms, and treatment of schizophrenia. Be sure to talk about the biological bases of the disorder How to do your research: Begin with the Psychology page of our web site. Then search the Internet to find at least ONE additional resource that is not linked to our page. Send the URL to me in an email message. Biology-- Writing Topic: Research in genetics has produced many important discoveries such as the structure and function of DNA. Watson and Crick were responsible for discovering DNA, and this discovery resulted in a Nobel Prize. Describe what led to Watson and Crick's discovery of DNA, and explain how and why this discovery was so important in the field of biology and genetics. How to do your research: Begin with the Biology page of our web site. Then search the Internet to find at least ONE additional resource that is not linked to our page. Send the URL to me in an email message. Business-- Writing Topic: Explore the area of marketing in business. What is marketing? How have the principles of marketing changed as a result of the Internet? How to do your research: Begin with the Business page of our web site. Then search the Internet to find at least ONE additional resource that is not linked to our page. Send the URL to me in an email message. Diet and Nutrition-- Writing Topic: Explain why it is important to understand the basic principles of diet and nutrition. How does this understanding help us in our everyday lives? How to do your research: Begin with the Diet and Nutrition page of our web site. Then search the Internet to find at least ONE additional resource that is not linked to our page. Send the URL to me in an email message. If you have any questions, ask or email me at esl91@yahoo.com

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2004 Today we will practice using the CUNY WriteSite. You will work on exercises that will help you with sentence boundaries. There are a series of exercises that you will complete on the computer. You will be able to see if your answers are correct right away. Go to the Grammar section of the CUNY WriteSite. We will choose a topic to work on together. When you finish, go back to the main page of the CUNY Write Site. Choose another area that is problematic for YOU and complete the series of exercises. If you have any questions, please ask me.

Monday, March 29, 2004 Today you will begin preparing for our collaborative lesson with Prof. Weiss' class. You will access and read several texts on the Internet. Each of these texts deals with a specific aspect of Global Warming, or The Greenhouse Effect. Go to the text "EPA Global Warming Page on Climate"--Read this text. At the end of the page there will be a link to another text. Click on the link and read that text. At the end of the second text, there will be one more link. Click on that link and read that text. You will read a total of 3 texts. You should take notes on the information provided in each text. Next, you will access the following 4 articles and complete the assignment listed below: The first two articles deal with The Kyoto Protocol. These articles describe and define the terms and parameters of the Kyoto Protocol and explain how this agreement addressed the effects of global warming on the citizens of the world. http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/climate/climatepoliticsfaq.jsp http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/climate/climatepoliticsfaq2.jsp Next you should read: http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/climate/climatequotes.jsp--This page contains quotes including statements from the director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and The White House Council of Economic Advisors. Finally you should read: http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/climate/ and http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/climate/climate.jsp?archive=true--Here you will find two pages of links to articles dealing with various aspects of the greenhouse effect. YOU SHOULD CHOOSE ONE SPECIFIC ASPECT RELATED TO GLOBAL WARMING. THEN READ, TAKE NOTES ON, AND WRITE A SUMMARY OF THE TEXT YOU HAVE CHOSEN. PROVIDE THE URL (WEB ADDRESS) OF THIS TEXT IN YOUR SUMMARY. THIS SUMMARY IS DUE ON THURSDAY, APRIL 1. YOU WILL READ YOUR SUMMARIES IN CLASS. Any questions, ask me.

MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2004 PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE ASSIGNMENT BEFORE YOU BEGIN Today you will continue gathering information on global warming in preparation for our collaborative lesson with Prof. Weiss' class. Go to the page "What's Up with the Weather?: The Debate" and do the following. Click on the link for Dr. Fred S. Singer: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/warming/debate/singer.html Read and Take Notes on the Interview with Dr. Singer. What does Dr. Singer believe about global warming? What does Dr. Singer believe about climate change? Does Dr. Singer believe that global warming is a great threat to human beings and to our planet? What specific reasons does Dr. Singer provide to support his views? Based upon your own research, do you agree or disagree with Dr. Singer? Why? Be specific. Click on the link for Tom M. L. Wigley: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/warming/debate/wigley.html Read and Take Notes on the Interview with Dr. Wigley. What does Dr. Wigley believe about global warming? What does Dr. Wigley believe about climate change? Does Dr. Wigley believe that global warming is a great threat to human beings and to our planet? What specific reasons does Dr. Wigley provide to support his views? Based upon your own research, do you agree or disagree with Dr. Wigley? Why? Be specific. BRING ALL OF YOUR NOTES AND PRINTOUTS TO CLASS WHEN WE RETURN FROM SPRING BREAK ON THURSDAY, APRIL 15. ON THAT DAY YOU WILL COMPLETE AN IN CLASS WRITING ASSIGNMENT IN WHICH YOU WILL COMPOSE A LETTER TO EITHER DR. SINGER OR DR. WIGLEY. I WILL GIVE YOU THE EXACT TOPIC ON APRIL 15.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2004 (MONDAY SCHEDULE) Today you will be doing two reader response exercises. You will read two essays and then write answers to a series of four questions for each essay. These exercises will serve several purposes: They will help develop your awareness as a writer as you respond to writing from the point of view of the reader. You will evaluate the effectiveness of the writing in terms of how clear each was, how well organized each was, and how much information each provided to you as the reader. They will give you some basic background on two major issues in the field of Physical Anthropology. To access the first reader response exercise, CLICK HERE. You will type your answers to the questions directly onto the computer screen and then submit them when you are finished. Don't forget to print out a copy of your answers for yourself. To access the second reader response exercise, CLICK HERE. You will type your answers to the questions directly onto the computer screen and then submit them when you are finished. Don't forget to print out a copy of your answers for yourself.

Monday, April 26, 2004 Note to Students: I will not be in today as I am not feeling well. You MUST complete the assignment below to receive credit for attending class today. I will check back for your answers after your class ends at 11:20am. I hope to see you all tomorrow. We will go over the answers to the Practice Reading Test on Jacques Cousteau. Today you will do a practice departmental reading exam. PLEASE DO NOT PRINT OUT THE TEXT--IT IS IN YOUR BOOK Go to the text "Language Acquisition in Humans ", which comes from your text Interdisciplinary English. Read the text, which is a hypertext with glosses, ON SCREEN. New vocabulary words are indicated in blue print. When you move your mouse under the blue word, the definition pops up in a box. This is called a gloss. After you read the text, answer the Comprehension Questions by typing your answer directly onto the computer screen. Print out ONE copy of your answers for yourself AFTER YOU PRINT OUT ONE COPY OF YOUR ANSWERS, THEN submit your answers by clicking on the button that says "Submit" Any questions, ask me.

Monday, May 3, 2004 Today you will do a practice departmental reading exam. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE YOU BEGIN WORKING Go to the text "The History of Psychology." Note that this text is a hypertext. This means that there will be links that will pop up at several points within the main text. These pop-ups will contain additional information. You will read the main text, being sure to move your mouse over the links as you come to them. The hypertext will pop up in a new window. When you are finished reading the information in that window, move your mouse off of the link and go back to reading the main text. As you are reading the texts, you should have your notebook open and take notes. Your assignment for this hypertext has TWO PARTS: You will answer comprehension questions today in computer lab. You will write a summary of the hypertext (including all the linked texts) for homework. You should bring your summary to Lab on WEDNESDAY. Begin doing the TWO PART Assignment: After you have finished reading the main and the hyperlinked pop-up texts, answer the 10 Comprehension Questions by typing your answer directly onto the computer screen. Print out a copy of your answers for yourself Submit your answers by clicking on the button that says "Submit" THEN, FOR WEDNESDAY, WRITE A SUMMARY OF THE HYPERTEXT. BRING IT TO LAB WHERE YOU WILL GO OVER IT WITH DEANNA. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU DO NOT BRING YOUR SUMMARY TO LAB, YOU WILL BE MARKED ABSENT ON WEDNESDAY. Any questions, ask me.

Monday, May 10, 2004 Today you will do a practice departmental reading exam. PLEASE DO NOT PRINT OUT THE TEXT--IT IS IN YOUR BOOK Go to the text Chaos Theory which comes from your text Interdisciplinary English. Read the text Answer the Comprehension Questions by typing your answer directly onto the computer screen. Print out a copy of your answers for yourself Submit your answers by clicking on the button that says "Submit" Any questions, ask me.

Monday, May 17, 2004 PRACTICE FOR THE ACT TEST AND OTHER MULTIPLE CHOICE READING TESTS Click for TEST 2. Click for the ANSWER KEY

Monday, May 24, 2004 Today you will fill out an Online Feedback Form on this ESL 91 course. The form will ask you to provide answers in which you give your opinions about our course and the activities we've done over the past semester. Please be honest in your responses and give as complete an answer as you can to each question. Your feedback will be used to improve the course for future ESL 91 students. To go to the course feedback form, CLICK HERE.